Some measure of truth to the story. Our cable supplier has operated a dual system for several years- analog and a digital set of channels at a premium cost. They have been gradually shifting channels from A to D, and I finally succumbed when they moved my favorite channel to digital. It costs me about $10 per month for digital, and another $5 for the set-top box. The upside is that I get most of the HD channels as part of the deal, as well as about 60 digital channels I didn't get before. Obviously, the company is pushing to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the analog users, but I think they will be forced by public opinion and the regulators to provide some basic level of analog service for a long time.
Ed
ed1 wrote: Some measure of truth to the story. Our cable supplier has operated a dual system for several years- analog and a digital set of channels at a premium cost. They have been gradually shifting channels from A to D, and I finally succumbed when they moved my favorite channel to digital. It costs me about $10 per month for digital, and another $5 for the set-top box. The upside is that I get most of the HD channels as part of the deal, as well as about 60 digital channels I didn't get before. Obviously, the company is pushing to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the analog users, but I think they will be forced by public opinion and the regulators to provide some basic level of analog service for a long time.
Ed
Must be Time-Warner.. They've been moving in that direction here as well, but so far I still don't own (rent) one of their boxes. Still, it's not a mandated move. It's a corporate decision.
Quote: Think you don’t have anything to worry about in the switch from analog to digital television? Think again.
Consumers have been told that the upcoming transition TV changeover would mainly impact viewers with old TVs using ancient rabbit ears for reception. And those stone-aged watchers need only purchase a new set-top converter box, subsidized by coupons from the U.S. government, to continue watching. And everyone would go on their merry sitcom-watching ways.
Turns out, that’s not the whole story.
There actually are two analog-to-digital transitions going on. One, you've heard a lot about – the broadcast changeover. But the other – the analog cable to digital cable transition – could leave up to 100 million TVs in the dark, unable to display any cable TV channels at all without adding extra equipment.
The cable version of the analog-to-digital jump will impact anyone who takes a coaxial cable line from the wall and plugs it directly into a TV set. There will be no government coupons to help pay for the millions of new set-top boxes or converters that will be needed to make them work again.
News stories, Yeah right.
After watching "Absence of Malice" (the movie) I really question all alleged news stories and when combined with "Wag the Dog" (movie) I decided that everything we see can be easily contrived.
The "Boob Tube" is something we HAVE to have, or at least most of us, and THEY know we will pay what ever is asked to get it.
Flat-Screen TV Gas 'a Climate Time Bomb'
Booming demand for flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the world's largest coal-fired power stations, scientists warn.
We are RCN subscribers with a "bundle of services" inclusing cable tv, high speed internet, and locl unlimited telephone service. In answer to my query, RC advises that "...once the conversion to to fully digital signal occurs in your area, all televisions will require a converter box in order to receive our cable tv service. The first box will cost about $2.95 and each additional box will cost about $5.95..." No mention of additional fees to come to support the boxes, but their past history is not reassuring!
So much for the notion that the conversion to digital will be seamless for cable subscribers!
Verizon FIOS may be in our future. Anyone made the switch?
So much for the notion that the conversion to digital will be seamless for cable subscribers!
Once again it's a corporate decision and has NOTHING at all do do with over-the-air broadcast going digital.And if you hear anything differently either here or in the media trying to relate the two, they're either clueless or it's a slow newsday and the 2nd string researchers are up.
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